Owner charged after boy, 7, mauled to death by dog
“I didn’t think I would come home and find my son dead," the father of Shamar Jackson said.
A 7-year-old South Carolina boy was fatally mauled by dogs while searching for his own missing pooch, and now the owner of the vicious animals has been charged.
Lorenzo Cardenas, 41, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Shamar Jackson, WBTW reports.
Jackson and his older brother were walking in his neighborhood and looking for their Chihuahua on June 13 when a pack of dogs approached. Jackson was mauled while his brother was able to escape. As previously reported by theGrio, when officers discovered the boy, the animals had ripped off his clothes and killed him. Reports also say the dogs were known as aggressive in the area.
“They couldn’t get away because it was so many dogs coming from different directions,” Carnell Jackson, Shamar’s father, told The State newspaper. “I didn’t think I would come home and find my son dead.”
“I’m hurt. I want to cry but I can’t cry anymore,” said the victim’s uncle, Anthony Parsley. “That’s my little fella there.” He added the dog’s owners did not apologize to the family. The dogs allegedly got loose through a hole in a fence from a neighbor’s yard, per WBTW.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office-South Carolina announced on Facebook that they are investigating the tragedy.
“It appears the small child was mauled by dog(s) while walking in his neighborhood with his brothers who were able to escape. The investigation continues and we are actively seeking the dogs and their possible owner,” Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace said shortly after the attack.
“Five adult dogs and one puppy were seized from a property on Cleo Road. The investigation is active and ongoing,“ per the department’s Facebook page on June 15.
A fundraising campaign was created in the boy’s name.
“An account has been established at Anderson Brothers Bank for those wishing to donate toward the funeral cost for 7-year-old Shamar Jackson. Shamar tragically lost his life earlier this week in a dog attack near Wilbur Road,” per the department’s Facebook page. “Shamar was a straight-A student finishing up the first grade at Lake View Elementary. You may donate at any Anderson Brothers Bank location, simply specify Shamar Jackson Fund.”
Marion County animal control removed six dogs from Cardenas and placed them at the local animal shelter. One of the dogs reportedly escaped and officials are trying to find the dangerous canine.
Cardenas is reportedly being held at the Marion County Detention Center.
One Facebook user commented “Please charge the dog owners to the fullest extent of the law. When you own a dog capable of killing a human, you need to be prepared to suffer the consequences if it ever happens.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast?
Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
